12 killed in Indonesia bus crash after passenger argument

Twelve people were killed and dozens more injured in a traffic accident in Indonesia on Monday (Jun 17) after a bus passenger tried to wrest control of the steering wheel following an argument with the driver, police said.

This handout picture taken early on Jun 17, 2019 shows police officers inspecting the wreckage of a car involved in an accident with a coach on a toll road in Majalengka, West Java. (Photo: AFP/West Java Police)

The accident happened at around 1am local time when the coach swerved into oncoming traffic on a toll road in West Java, smashing into two cars and causing a truck to roll.

This happened on the Cikopo-Paliman Expressway as the bus was heading to Cirebon from Jakarta, local media reported citing a police spokesperson.

About 43 people were injured in the multi-vehicle accident and rushed to hospital, police said.

"In the middle of the journey, a passenger attempted to forcibly take control of the steering wheel ... and the bus then lost control," Atik Suswanti, the head of the Majalengka police traffic unit, told AFP.

The bus driver was killed, according to authorities, while the 29-year-old passenger was severely injured.

Traffic accidents are common in the Southeast Asian archipelago, where vehicles are often old and poorly maintained and road rules regularly flouted.

In September, at least 21 people died when a bus plunged into a ravine in West Java's Sukabumi region.